No decision on alcohol policy

The Queenstown Lakes District Council (QLDC) is still to
decide whether to develop a Local Alcohol Policy (Lap).

The authority had not yet formally considered whether to
develop a policy, legal and regulatory manager Lee Webster
said.

''We are still waiting for details from the police before the
matter is considered at full council. Once we have the
information from the police and some further clarification
from the Ministry of Health I expect there will be a report
to council,'' Mr Webster told The News this week.

The council had also consulted with licensees, the wider
public and smaller groups ''who work with those affected by
alcohol in our community'' to help it decide whether a Lap
was appropriate for the district.

It had also considered results from an online survey launched
in October that sought to gauge the community's opinions
about alcohol.

Questions such as whether alcohol was too accessible, whether
trading hours should be reduced and whether one-way door
polices should be introduced were included in the survey.

The poll attracted 961 respondents, with the majority saying
there was little negative impact linked to people drinking in
the district.

Although 52% of respondents said they felt alcohol was a key
contributor of family and domestic violence, results showed
the majority felt it played little part in sexual violence,
road accidents, anti-social behaviour or crime against
property.

In November, Mayor Vanessa van Uden told the Otago Daily
Times she was not surprised by the results and that the
survey was ''nothing more than an information-gathering
exercise''.